Sewing-awl.



No. 891,358. I PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

J. W. MORGAN.

SEWING AWL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1901.

v I \V i i PVI'IYVESSES: Imus/V7019,

A TTOR/VEYS By I I WW4) I V I I a No. 891,358.

UNITED sTArr s PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MORGAN, OFSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS O.LUOKENBAOH, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. U

SE WING-AWL.

Patented June 23, 1908.

Serial No. 381,132.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Sewing-Awl, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to improvements in sewing awls, and itspurpose is to provide a device wherein the thread iscarried in thehandle of the awl and automatically fed as desired, while the thread maybe put under tension at the will of the operator in order that the partsto be sewed together may be firmly united, the thread forming what isknown as the lock stitch.

The invention consists essentially in a suitable handle having its rearend closed by a suitable cap, and in this handle there is fitted acasting or forging arranged to receive one end of a spool of sewingthread, which thread is conducted through an axial channel to and alonga groove in the side of the needle to the eye of the latter' At asuitable intermediate point the casting carries a trigger-like clamparranged to engage the thread so that when the needle is forced throughthe cloth or other material to be sewed, loops may be formed thereby andthe extended end of the thread may be carried through said loops andthen on the withdrawal of the needle the tension device may be operatedto draw the tive in'Fig. 4.

loops as tight as the strength of the thread permits.

The invention will be fully understood from the following detaileddescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings formingpart of this speci cation, in which,

Figure 1 isa central longitudinal section of the device, with some partsshown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a front view, showing the needle in crosssection; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 0c-ac of Fig. 1, looking towardthe front of the device and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the for ingor casting carried by the awl handle, wit a part broken away.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a handle 1, suitably hollowedout to receive certain parts and provided with an end screw-cap 2, theexterior shape of the handle and cap being that common y employed forsewing awls. Fitted to the interior of the handle is a metallic block,shown in erspec- This block consists 0 a stem 3 arranged to fit axiallyin the forward portion of the awl handle, and this stem is expanded atthe rear into a cylindrical block 4 provided with two rearwardlyextending parallel wings 5 having their inner faces fiat and parallel,and their outer faces conforming to the curvature of the exterior of theblock 4. The outer end 6 of the stem is designed to project beyond thefront end of the handle and is. there threaded and provided withlongitudinal cross slits. This threaded portion 6 receives a nut 7, theconstruction being such that when the nut 7 is screwed on to thethreaded end 6, the wings formed by slitting the end 6 are forcedtogether by the application of the nut, which may be slightly taperedfor this purpose. Through the stem 3 and end 6 there is a central axialperforation 8 which, where it extends through the end 6, is sufficientlyenlarged to receive the butt end of an awl needle 9 such as is used insewing awls. This needle is provided with an eye 10 near its point andfrom this eye to the butt end of the needle there is a longitudinal sidegroove 11.

In the rear end of each wing 5 of the block 4 there is formed alongitudinal recess 12. These two recesses are for the purpose ofreceiving the journal 13 of a spool or reel 14 on which is wound thethread to be used for sewing. The wings 5 reach to the rearmost end ofthe handle 1 and when the cap 2 is removed the reel or spool 14 may beremoved from its seat between the wings 5, or, after be ing refilled,may be replaced therein. When the cap is in place the spool is preventedfrom escaping from the recesses 12, so that its journals are alwaysconfined therein except when the cap is removed.

The axial passage 8 extends all the way through the stem 3 and block 4and opens into the space between the wings 5. In the block 4 there isaradial slot or recess 15 lead ing from the exterior of the block to thepassage 8, and in the handle 1 is a slot 16 leading into the slot orrecess 15.

Pivotally secured to the block 4 by a suitable pin 17 is the head 18 ofa lever 19 extending through the slot 16 and terminating exterior to thehandle in a trigger-like fingerhold 20. The inner edge of the head 18 isrounded, as shown at 21, and the axial end of the slot or recess 15 islikewise rounded in conformity with the rounded end of the head 18,while the axial wall of the passage 8 is the rounded surface or shoulder22, thereby preventing the thread from being drawn thread ispulled outto a considerable dis- 'tance. the members to be sewed together theloose to be sewed together is passed, and the described.

in contact with the cloth or any obstruction.

1 in the palm of the hand as is usual, and, the l rounded, as shown at22, where it opens to the space between the wings 5. The triggerlikelever 19, with its head 18 and bearing edge 21, constitutes the tensiondevice.

Now, let it be assumed that the spool 14 is wound full of suitablethread and that the spool is placed with its journals in the recesses12. First, however, the thread, shown at 23, is passed through thechannel 8 and into the groove 11 in the needle 9 and finally through theeye 10 of the needle. When ready to use the awl, the loose end of theNow, when the awl is forced through end is pulled all the way through.At the next passage of the awl through the cloth the thread will form aloop, through which the loose end on the rear face of the cloth piecesneedle is then withdrawn. By pulling on the trigger 20 the rounded edge21 of the head 18 is caused to clamp the thread against toward theneedle. By pullingbackward on the awl structure the thread may be putunder any desired tension and the loop will be partially seated in thecloth between the surfaces thereof. When the needle is again passedthrough the cloth another loop is formed and the loose end is passedthrough the second loop, and so on from loop to loop, each loop beingdrawn tight in the manner In this manner all kinds of materials may besewed together, including lealther, sail cloth, and other heavy materias.

It will be seen that the thread feeds-directly from the spool throughthe passage 8 without binding or twisting, since theaxis of the spool 14is in the plane of but at right angles to the axis of the passage 8.This prevents the thread from being tangled. It will also be observedthat the thread. passes axially through the handle and alsolongitudinally through the groove 11 along the entire length of theneedle up to the eye. The thread is therefore prevented from coming Itwill also be observed that by the use of the trigger-like tensiondevice, the finger-of the operator when in engagement therewith is in aneasy position, assuming that the cap 2 is leverage being great, butlittle pressure is needed to effect the desired tension.

I claim 1. A sewing awl comprising a suitable handle-havinga removablecap at its butt end, an interior block provided with parallel i wingshaving end recesses and a stem exten- 1 sion having an axial passageprovided with a ,1

needle clamp at its front end beyond the vice comprisin a lever pivotedwithin the body of the aw said lever having a tension head formed on oneside of the pivot point of the lever and entering the thread and atrigger-like finger hold forme on the other side of the pivot point ofthe lever, said finger-hold being exterior to the handle and extendinglaterally with relation to the body.

-3. A sewing awl comprising a suitable handle having a removable cap atits butt end, an interior block provided with parallel wings having endrecesses and a stem extension having an axial passage and provided witha needle clamp at its front end beyond the front end of the handle, saidblock also having a radial slot or groove extending from its peripheryto the axial passa e, a thread spool or reel having its journals acapted to the recesses in the wings, and a tension device comprising alever fulcrumed in the radial slot in the block, said lever having ahead extending into the longitudinal passage through the block and atrigger-like end on the other side of its pivot from the head andextending outside of the handle.

4. A sewing awl comprising a handle provided with a screw ca at its buttend, a block within the han e having rearwardly extended parallel wingswith recesses at their rear ends, said block also having a radial slotextending to its center, a stem formed integral with the block-andprovided with a central longitudinal passage coalescing with the radialslot in the block, said stem having its front end beyond the end of thehandle formed into a needle clamp, a sewing needle adapted to the clampand having a longitudinal side groove extending from the eye to the buttend of the needle and there coincident with the longitudinal passagethrough the stem, a thread reel having journals adapted to the recessesin the ends of the wings, and a clamp lever pivotally su ported within.the recess of the block, saic clamp lever having a head with a roundededge arranged to clamp the thread against the axial wall of the slot inthe block and having a trigger-like extension on the side of the pivotremote from the head, said trigger-like extension passing through thehandle and arranged exterior thereto.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. MORGAN.

I/Vitnesses:

ALEXANDER L. SHARPE, JOHN R. LEAVELL.

passage, L

